Shaun Maloney has warned his Hibernian side they will have to be ready to deal with testing weather conditions and a very dangerous Arbroath outfit if they are to reach the quarter-finals of the Scottish Cup.
The Easter Road side face a hazardous-looking trip to Gayfield on Sunday to take on Dick Campbell’s part-timers, who are currently five points clear at the top of the cinch Championship and on course for a fairytale promotion to the Premiership.
While the ground – right next to the North Sea – is renowned for wild weather conditions, manager Maloney stressed that Hibs will also be encountering an accomplished football team.
“It’s a big challenge for us because Arbroath are in really good form, especially at home,” said Maloney.
“These are the type of ties the Scottish Cup is all about. We’re going to have to be at our very best, and better in certain aspects of our play than what we’ve been recently to give ourselves a chance to win the game.
“The environment and the stadium is something to think about. I’ve been there before and some of our players will have been there before, but I know some of our players from different countries will not have been there. It’s the same in every competition though – there are matches like this thrown up.
“I’ve got huge respect for what Arbroath are doing at the moment in their league. They are a very good team who can hurt you in different areas. They can try and play and they’re also very aggressive. The conditions for sure will bring a challenge but so will the actual team and the quality they possess.
“There’s a reason they’re top of the league they’re in, and that’s the quality of players they’ve got. I watched their game against Kilmarnock and they’re a very good team with good players. Dick Campbell has done a fantastic job there.”
Hibs – who won the cup in 2016 – will be just one game away from Hampden if they overcome Arbroath, but Maloney insists it is far too early to start thinking about the latter stage of the competition.
“The cup competitions mean so much to the support and there is a completely different dynamic because you get a result that day,” he said.
“The club’s done really well in recent years in terms of making semi-finals and finals and to get to those stages, to get to Hampden, you have to win games like this.
“In every cup run you get games like this you have to prepare for. We’re not thinking about semi-finals or finals at this stage. Our full focus is on Arbroath.”
Joe Newell, Paul Hanlon, Kyle Magennis and Harry Clarke are all set to remain on the sidelines for Hibs.
